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Khokrapar-Munabao train will run from Feb 17
Lahore: Pakistan 's Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said that the train service between Khokrapar and Munabao will start from February 17. He said that to avoid accidents, proposals for the construction of gates at 4,000 railway crossings, construction of three hundred underpasses and fencing along with railway tracks passing through thickly populated areas would be presented in next cabinet meeting. He confirmed the launching of two new trains -- the Sir Syed and the Nishtar soon.
Last month, Rashid had said that Pakistan had run the Khokhrapar train service for six months before its suspension due to floods. He had said then that Islamabad had asked New delhi to restart the service, and warned then that if this was not done till February 10, the goods train service from Pakistan to India would be stopped. He claimed then that Pakistan had laid railways track costing Rs 2 billion for both passenger and goods service trains. Therefore, India should start a freight train service as per its pledge. India and Pakistan had reached an agreement to run the much- awaited Thar Express, the Khokhrapar-Munabao train service connecting Pakistan 's southern Sindh province and Rajastan, on January 31, 2006. The train service was to start on February 18 last year. Ashok Gupta, the then Advisor of the Indian Railway Board, and his Pakistan counterpart Mustaq Khan Jadoon, had signed the agreement for the start of the service after two days of talks.
Under
the agreement, which was modelled on the Samjhotha Express running between
Attari and Lahore, it was decided that Pakistan would provide the rakes
for the first six months, while the remaining six months would be handled
by India. Should it start, the Thar Express would be resumed after a gap
of 31 years. It was considered a very popular train service after the
partition of India in August 1947, but was discontinued during the 1965
war. As per the agreement reached between the two sides last year, the
train service, the second between the countries, was to run every Saturday.
It is expected to leave from Karachi to Khokhrapar on the Pakistan side
in the night and cross into the Indian side and reach Munabao in the morning.
The train will be in a position to accommodate 900 to 1,000 passengers.
-Feb 6, 2007
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